Prospect Watch: Top performers of 2015
The minor-league regular season ended about a week ago, and right now most leagues are in the middle of their postseasons. The minors are about development first and foremost, but winning is always appreciated. Players want to win and organizations want to foster a championship mentality.
With the regular season over, it’s time to look back at the top minor-league performers of the 2015 season. The emphasis is on prospects — so the journeyman having a huge year in Triple-A won’t be included here — though this isn’t necessarily a top prospects list. It’s a top performances by prospects list. Got it? Good.
CATCHER: Jacob Nottingham, Astros/Athletics
Nottingham was part of the Scott Kazmir trade this summer. The 20-year-old split the season at two levels of Class A ball and hit .316/.372/.505 with 33 doubles, 17 home runs and 82 RBI. Nottingham ranked second among minor-league catchers in RBI, fourth in doubles and fifth in home runs while being two full years younger than the average player in his league for most of the season. Honorable Mention: Willson Contreras, Cubs and Andrew Knapp, Phillies
FIRST BASE: A.J. Reed, Astros
Easy call here. Reed, 22, led the minor leagues in home runs (34), RBI (127), slugging percentage (.612) and OPS (1.022) in 2015. He was second in hits (178). Reed hit .340/.432/.612 overall between high Class A and Double-A while also swatting 30 doubles and drawing 86 walks. He’d be an excellent choice for the minor-league MVP award, if such a thing existed. Honorable Mention: Trey Mancini, Orioles and Dominic Smith, Mets
SECOND BASE: Tony Kemp, Astros
The 23-year-old Kemp splits his time between second base and the outfield, but saw way more time at second (92 games) than in the outfield (32 games) this summer. He’s a speedster who hit .308/.388/.386 with 19 doubles, 35 stolen bases and nearly as many walks (56) as strikeouts (65). There are always relatively few true second-base prospects in the minors — the vast majority of second baseman are ex-shortstops — so the pickin’s are pretty slim. Honorable Mention: Brandon Drury, Diamondbacks and Yoan Moncada, Red Sox
SHORTSTOP: Corey Seager, Dodgers
Another easy call at shortstop. Seager was called up to the big leagues a few days ago, though while in the minors he hit .293/.344/.487 with 37 doubles, 18 home runs and 76 RBI in 125 games at mostly Triple-A, where at 21 he was nearly six years younger than the average Pacific Coast League player. Seager’s the best prospect in baseball right now and his season shows why. Honorable Mention: J.P. Crawford, Phillies and Trevor Story, Rockies
THIRD BASE: Ryan McMahon, Rockies
This was something of a weak season at the hot corner in the minors, though that’s not to say McMahon didn’t have an incredible season. The 20-year-old destroyed high Class A, hitting .300/.372/.520 with 43 doubles, 18 home runs and 75 RBI. The California League is a great place to hit, but McMahon was also 2 1/2 years younger than the average player in the league. Honorable Mention: Colin Moran, Astros and Richie Shaffer, Rays
OUTFIELD: Lewis Brinson, Rangers; Max Kepler, Twins; Bradley Zimmer, Indians
As always, there were some incredible outfield performances in the minors this summer. Brinson, 21, put up a .332/.403/.601 batting line with 31 doubles, 20 home runs, 69 RBI and 18 stolen bases in exactly 100 games while climbing from high Class A all the way up to Triple-A. He was young for the level every step of the way and still dominated.
The 22-year-old Kepler signed out of Germany way back in 2009 and it took him a few years to adjust to pro ball. Kepler broke out in a big way this summer, hitting .318/.410/.520 with 34 doubles, 13 triples, nine home runs, 71 RBI, 19 steals and more walks (69) than strikeouts (68). Monster season at Double-A.
Zimmer, 22, filled all the columns this year. He managed a .273/.368/.446 line with 26 doubles, four triples, 16 homers, 63 RBI and 44 steals. Zimmer has both speed and power and he put both on display in 127 games split between high Class A and Double-A. Honorable Mention: Clint Frazier, Indians; Brett Phillips, Brewers; Domingo Santana, Astros
RIGHT-HANDED STARTER: Jose Berrios, Twins
It’s a shame the Twins shut the 21-year-old Berrios down for workload reasons rather than call him up in September. He went 14-5 with a 3.03 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP in 166 1/3 innings spread across 27 starts in the minors. Berrios also struck out 175 (9.5 K/9) and walked only 38 (2.1 BB/9). He did all of that at Double-A and Triple-A, where he was several years younger than the rest of the competition. What an impressive season for the youngster. Honorable Mention: Jose De Leon, Dodgers and Michael Fulmer, Mets/Tigers
LEFT-HANDED STARTER: Blake Snell, Rays
A total of 569 pitchers threw at least 100 innings in the minors this season. None had a lower ERA than Snell. The 22-year-old southpaw pitched to a 1.41 ERA in 134 innings spanning 23 starts and two relief appearances — he allowed one run or less in 18 of those 23 starts — while striking out 163 (10.9 K/9) and walking 53 (3.6 BB/9). Snell pitched at three levels this year, climbing from high Class A all the way to Triple-A. Honorable Mention: Matt Boyd, Blue Jays/Tigers and Austin Gomber, Cardinals
RELIEVER: Ryan Dull, Athletics
Year after year, the minor leagues are loaded with relievers who put up ridiculous numbers. It’s not often you see one pitch at the upper levels with a sub-1.00 ERA, however. The 25-year-old Dull did just that, allowing just five earned runs in 61 innings (0.74 ERA) across 47 relief appearances at Double-A and Triple-A. He struck out 73 (10.8 K/9) and walked 16 (2.4 BB/9), two intentionally. Dull’s reward? A September call-up. Honorable Mention: Silvino Bracho, Diamondbacks and Mychal Givens, Orioles
Jose Berrios was the best righty starter in the minors in 2015. (USATSI)
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